Two Faces of Lindsay Monroe
by Shortcake82
Summary: DL! Lindsay has doubts Danny loves her for who she really is. Happy ending, I promise.


Two Faces of Lindsay Monroe

Disclaimer- All the characters are owned by CBS

Author's note- The quote about the 1000 pieces puzzle came from the author The Notorious Cat. It's from her CSI Nick/Sara story 'Pieces'. It is a great story. You should go read her stuff. This might be a little out of character, hopefully not too much. Also in one of my past reviews someone told me to space it out some. So I tried, I hope it doesn't look to weird.

Sullivan's

Flack, Stella, Hawkes, Danny, and Lindsay are sitting at a table

laughing and talking. They all burst out laughing at the story Hawkes is

telling. "Then she starts talking about puzzles." Hawkes Says. "What'd she say?" Danny asks. "She said 'Life is like a used puzzle.' I must have looked at her like she had two heads, because she went on to explain her theory. She said 'You know the kind with a thousand pieces that has been done seven times? It's like no matter how many times you are broken then put back together, there's always a few pieces missing.' I didn't know what to say after that." The groups of friends weren't laughing at this part of the story. Flack cleared his throat. "Wow, I never thought of it that way." Flack was the only one to speak for a few minutes. "I guess I can see the puzzle part, but I see it differently." Lindsay says. Stella laughs a little. "Well, then Lindsay tell us, how is life like a puzzle?" Stella asks. Lindsay smiled. "Well since you asked so nicely." Lindsay's smile fell from her face as she continues. "Life is like a puzzle in my opinion, because when we are born we are a whole puzzle, and for the rest of our lives people will be taking pieces away, until one day there's nothing left." Nobody said anything, just an awkward silence. Lindsay looked down at her watch. "Well, it's getting late, and I have an early shift. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye." Then she got up and left.

Outside Sullivan's

Danny came running out, hoping to catch up with Lindsay. "Hey, Montana wait up." Lindsay slowed down so he could walk beside her. "How about I drive you home?" Danny asks when he catches up with her. Lindsay smiles up at him and says. "Thanks, I'd like that." Danny and Lindsay had been dating for a couple of weeks, but already they didn't like spending a night without the other.

Danny's Car

They did not talk very much; both are busy with their own thoughts. Danny decided to ask the question that been gnawing at him since they left the bar. "The things you said back at the bar, they were kind of dark don't you think?" Lindsay didn't say anything. "Do you really feel that way?" Danny asked. Lindsay sighed. She was afraid this might come up. "Yeah, I do." She said looking out the window. She just couldn't look at Danny right now. "I'm just surprised someone like you would have such dark thoughts." Danny says as he pulls up in front of Lindsay's apartment building. "What do you mean, 'someone like you'? What am I like?" Danny starts rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, you're always positive, and you know, you smile a lot." He looks over at Lindsay. She is looking out the window again. "I have to go. Thanks for the ride. Good-night." She then got out of the car, and ran up the front steps of the building. Danny hits the steering wheel, before cursing and pulling away from the curb. At the first red light Danny realized that this will be the first night he has spent with out Lindsay by his side in two weeks. When the light turned green he turned the opposite direction of his apartment, he needed to drive around and think.

Later that night at Lindsay's apartment

Lindsay is sitting on her couch. Her TV is on, but she is not watching it. Her mind had been busy ever since she got home. Her eyes are tearing up at the thoughts running through her head. The knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. She gets up and shuffles over to the door. When she looks in the peephole, she wishes she could crawl in a hole some where. She knew she knew what she had to do, but she didn't want to. Lindsay opened the door, then stepped back to let Danny in.

As they both stood in the middle of the living room, Danny reached over to wipe the tear away that was running down Lindsay's cheek. She pulls away from his touch, then walks over and sits back on the couch. With a look of pain in his eyes Danny walks over and sits next to her. "Linds, what's wrong?" Lindsay burst into tears. Danny then tries to take her into his arms, but she won't let him. Lindsay gets up and walks over to the window. She couldn't be close to him right now. I'm not who you think I am. You're in love with the wrong women." Danny is very confused. "What are you talking about? I know who you are. I've known you for two years. And I am in love with you Lindsay Monroe, from Bozeman Montana." Lindsay laughs. "No, you know the Lindsay Monroe that lives in New York."

None of this is making sense to Danny. He is getting very frustrated. "What are you talking about?" Lindsay walks back over to the couch to sit next to Danny. "Ever since I lost my friends, I have this negative out look on life." Danny tries to touch her again. "That's normal for what you've been through." Lindsay moves away from his touch. She then continued with what she was saying, acting like Danny hadn't spoken at all. "When I got the opportunity to come here, I thought if I changed on the outside life would be easier. I tried to be more positive, and happy. I even felt like I was really becoming that way. I really love my life here, but when the Bozeman D.A. called I realized I haven't changed. I'm still that person who is filled with so much pain; she can't see the good things in life. These past couple of years has felt like an act. Like I was pretending to be something I'm not. You fell in love with the women I was pretending to be, not me."

There was only silence as Danny tries to processes everything she just said. After a few minutes he was ready to discuss all of this. "So, you think I don't know the real you, and because I don't know the real you then I can't possibly love you?" Danny asked slowly trying to stay calm. "Yes. How can you love some one you have never met?" Lindsay looks straight into Danny's eyes. Danny knew that Lindsay's eyes where the window to her soul, and he saw everything he needed to know that she was wrong. Danny knew just what to say to show that to her. "That first day at the zoo, the women who rambled on about tigers to Mac, who was that? The real you or where you putting on an act then?" Lindsay cocked her head to the side, wondering where he was going with this. "The real me." She said. "Who was the women who put me in my place when I called her Montana?" He asked. "Me." Danny looked her in the eyes, and took her hands in his. "Who was the women who showed-up at the subway scene in a evening dress? Who was the women who asked me to carry her across a flower bed? Who took me to cozy's just to prove me wrong? Who brought me the DNA results from the cigarette, knowing she could get suspended or worse? Who was the women who almost kissed me in a court room in Bozeman Montana?" Lindsay had tears running down her face. "Me." She said as her voice cracked. "This is the most important question I have. Who was the women who won my money and my heart in a game of pool?" Lindsay let out a big sob. "Me." Danny pulled her into his arms. "Then I am in love with the right Lindsay Monroe." Lindsay felt relief flood her body. Her broken heart started to mend. Danny leaned in and when she felt his soft lips on hers, she knew everything was going to be okay. How could it not? Danny Messer was in love with her.


End file.
